Fan pivot joint



April 7, 1931. T. s. PUKERUD 1,799,936

FAN PIVOT JOINT Filed Dec. 13. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR 77200705 JPu/verud BYI C J ATTORNEY April 7, 1931. T. s. PUKERUD FAN PTVOT JOINT Filed Dec. 15, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I6 33 52 O 43 1 I? INVENTOR ThomasSPu/verud ATTOiQNEY Patented Apr. 7, 1931 FATE OFFICE THOMAS S. PUKERUD, F EDGEWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & IVIAN'UFACT'URING CQIJIPANY, A CORPORATION PENNSYLVANIA FAN PIVOT J'GINT Application filed December 13, 1827.

My invention relates to fan motors and more particularly to oscillating motor-driven fans.

An object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple, easily manufactured and installed and inexpensive pivot joint for an oscillating fan motor.

Another object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple and effective connection between a motor housing and a reduction-gear casing constituting a part of an oscillating-fan-motor assembly.

In practicing my invention, I provide a gear casing secured to, and depending from,

one side of a motor housing. I provide also a pivot pin having its upper end rigidly secured to the bottom portion of the motor housing and depending therefrom into a swivel housing which is provided with a 29 longitudinally-extending opening therethrough and is provided also with a laterally-extending opening. A clamping screw is located in the laterally-extending opening and is provided with an opening extending laterally through the intermediate portion thereof, the walls of the opening in the clamping screw surrounding an intermediate portion of the pivot pin, which is made of reduced diameter. A butterfly nut is mounted on one end of the clamping screw which extends through not only the swivel housing but also through part of the upper end of the base member to clamp the swivel housing in any predetermined angular position on the top of the base. A swivel cover, of substantially inverted cup-shape, is secured against the outside of the motor housing by the pivot pin at one end of the swivel cover, while the other end of the swivel cover extends laterally from the housing and is secured against a portion of the lower end of the gear case.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view, partially in side elevation, with portions shown in section, of a motor-driven fan comprising the device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view partially in bottom plan and partially in section on the line II-II of Fig. 1; and

Serial No. 239,747.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, partially in front elevation and partially in section, the section being taken in a plane substantially at right angles to that shown in Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, I have there illustrated a fan motor designated generally by the numeral 11 and comprising a motor housing 12 having the usual stator structure mounted therein, as well as a rotor comprising a shaft 13. A set of fan blades 14 is mounted on the front end of the shaft 13, and the usual wire guard 15 is provided to prevent accidental contact with the fan blades when the motor is operating. These parts of the assembly are of standard construction and have been shown for illustrative purposes only. The fan motor comprises also a base 16 havin an upwardly extending portion 17 that is of reduced diameter and of substantially tubular construction. In fact, I prefer to make the base of drawn sheet steel.

A swivel housing 18 is located at the upper end of the base 16, the lower end of the swivel housing fitting into the upper end portion 17 hereinbefore described. The swivel housing 18 is provided with a longitudinallyextending opening 19 and with an opening 21 extending laterally therethrough. The opening- 21 is located at substantially the intermediate portion of the length of the swivel housing.

Immediately adjacent to the upper end of the swivel housing 18, the iongitudinally-extending opening 19 is made of increased diameter, as shown more particularly in Fig. 1 of the drawings, in order to receive a ball bearing 22 of standard design.

A pivot pin 23 is provided, the upper end of which has the outer surface screw threaded, as shown at 2 1, and provided also with an axial opening 25. The lateral section of that portion of the pivot pin immediately below the threaded portion 24 is made of hexagonal section, as shown at 26.

When assembling the pivot pin in its proper operative position relative to the housing 12, a lock washer 27 is first placed on the upper end of the pivot pin in engagement with the upper face of the portion 26, after which a saddle member 28, in the form of a plate of sheet metal, is placed thereon and then S\ 'el cover 29, iade of inverted trough or blade shape, in section.

The housing 2 provided with suitable opening in the bottom portion thereof which may have its walls screw threaded and i which the screw threaded portion 24 of pivot pin extends, being tightly t place. The upper e1 of the alls the axial openin 25 is then henmered l over, snbstantiallas shown in F 1 of the drawings, in order that the pivot pin 23 niav have its upper ends securely held relativ l to the housing 12.

ll hen in its proper ooerative location in the swivel housing 18, pivot pin extends through the longitudinal openii 19. hat portion of the pivot pin located in alineinent with the lateral opening 21 in the vel housing niade u i 1 'iameter, as shown at 31in 1 o k a shoulder portion 32 being provided therebeneath.

A clamping 3 extends throuph the lateral opening 21 and is provi .d w an expanded head 34, the inner face of which engages one flattened urfu'e of the swivel housing as shown at 35 i 3 of the drawwe base, which is ings. The upper part 1? (if provided with an opening 36 therein for receiving the swivel housing, provided also with two co-axial openings 37 and 38 for receiving, respectively, the head 34 of the clamping screw and. the screw threaded body portion of greatly reduced diameter. butterfly nut 39 and a washer 41 are provided to permit of clamping the swivel housing in any predetermined position relatively to the base.

The clamping screw 33 is provided with an intermediate portion which flattened, as shown in 42 of Fig. 3 of the drawings, and is provided with an opening 43 extending laterally therethrough and in a direction at right angles to the plane of the flattened surface. The opening 43 is so located, relatively to the length of the clamping screw 33, that, when the butterfly nut 39 is t itened, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the opening 43 will not be co-axi l with the ivot pin This eccentricity i shown also i Fi 2 of the drawings and has for its object the locking of the pivot pin relatively to tli e swivel housing so as to preclude withd l of the pivot pin from the swivel housing so long as the clamping screw saall be tightened. The diameter of opening 43 is made suiticiently large so that the reduced portion 31 of the pivot pin will not contact with the screw 33 when the nut 39 is tightened, whereby to permit free rotation of the pin at all times.

A gear case 44 is provided at the rear of the fan motor assembly, the upper portion of which is secured to an end bell of the housing 12 in any suitable or desired manner, this upper portion of the gear case constituting also a bearing for the rear end of the shaft 13. *Within the gear case 44 is provided a suitable speed-reducing mechanism embodying worm gear operatively engaged by an end portion of the shaft 13 which is provided witn worm threads for this purpose.

A vertically extending shaft 46 is located within the gear ase which may be operatively connected to, and disconnected from, the worm gear 45 by suitable means comprising an actuating knob 47. As the means for effecting this connection and disconnection constitutes no part of my invention, I have merely illustrated it in order to show the general construction of the device.

The lower end of the shaft 46 is provided with teeth constituting a pinion 48 which normally meshes with a spur gear wheel 49 mounted on a bearing shaft 51 which is driv on into an opening 52 in the gear case 44.

The gear wheel 49 is provided with a crank pin 53. i1 connecting rod 54 has one of its ends engaging the crank pin 53 which, for case and convenience in manufacture, may be in the form of a short screw, while the other end of the connecting rod 54 engages a fixed lug 55 which is riveted into the upper surface of the swivel housing 18. lVhen the motor is energized, the rotative motion of the shaft 13 is transmitted to the gear wheel 49 at a greatly reduced speed and is translated into an oscillatory movement of the fan and the motor housing, the base of the fan motor, of course remaining stationary.

The assembly of the pivot pin 23 on the housing 12 has already been described whereby the swivel cover 29 is so located that an outer end portion thereof, having a recess 56, will operatively engage a lug 57 extending substantially horizontally from the gear case at the bottom thereof to permit of a clamping screw 58 tightly clamping the swivel cover 29 against the lug 57 of the gear case to anchor or brace the gear case and to provide a relatively non-yielding structure.

The mounting of the oscillating structure, embodying the fan, the housing, the gear case and the pivot pin in the swivel housing, is simple, it being understood that the butterfly nut 39 is not tightened initially so that the opening 43 may be temporarily located coaxial with the opening 19 in the swivel housing. After the pivot pin has been located in the longitudinally extending opening 19, the clamping screw may be tightened, after which it will be impossible for any one to re move the pivot pin until the clamping screw has again been loosened to cause the openin N 43 and 19 to be substantially co-aXial.

A gear case cover 59 is provided to engage the lower portion of the gear case and cover the connecting rod 54 and the assoc'ated members.

If necessary or desirable, the swivel cover 29 and the saddle 28 may be secured against the housing 12 by a plurality of rivets indicated at 61.

The device embodying my invention thus provides a relatively simple means comprising a pivot pin having a portion of reduced diameter, the pivot pin extending into an opening in a swivel housing and held therein by the same member which clamps the swivel housing in any predetermined angular position relatively to a supporting base.

Various modifications may be made in the device embodying my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and I desire that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art or are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an oscillating fan motor, in combination, a base, a swivel housing at the upper end thereof, a clamping screw extending through the base and the swivel housing for adj ustably clamping the housing to the base, a motor assembly and a pivot pin having its upper end secured to the motor assembly and extending downwardly into the swivel housing, the clamping screw and the pivot pin having cooperating interfitting means for holding the pivot pin against longitudinal movement while leaving it free for turning movement in a plane at right angles to the axis of the pivot pin while the housing is clamped to the base.

2. In an oscillating fan motor, in combina tion, a base, an angularly adjustable swivel housing at the upper end thereof, a motor assembly, a pivot pin having a portion of reduced diameter, said pin being secured to the motor assembly to depend therefrom into the swivel housing, and a single means extending through the base and the swivel housing for clamping them together, said means having a part thereof interfitting with the portion of reduced diameter of the pivot pin to prevent withdrawal of the pivot pin when the base and the swivel housing are clamped together to prevent angular motion of the as sembly about a horizontal axis while leaving said pivot pin free for turning movement in a plane at right angles to the axis of the pivot pin.

3. In an oscillating fan, in combination, a base, an angularly adjustable swivel housing at the upper end thereof having a longitudinal and a lateral opening therethrough, a motor assembly, a pivot pin having a portion of reduced diameter, said pin being secured to the motor assembly to depend therefrom into the longitudinal opening in the swivel housing, and a clamping screw located in the lateral opening for clamping the swivel housing to the base and having an opening therethrough for receiving the portion of reduced diameter and interfitting therewith for preventing withdrawal of the pivot pin while THOMAS S. PUKERUD. 

